Two people were arrested at Larnaca airport on Wednesday after customs department officers found significant quantities of contraband tobacco in their luggage.

In the first incident, customs officers inspected the luggage of a 50-year-old Romanian national who was about to board a flight to Athens.

The search, conducted after a tip-off, revealed 48 kilograms of rolling tobacco split between two suitcases.

The tobacco products lacked the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, as well as the necessary security features and unique traceability codes, indicating they were duty-free. The passenger was arrested on the spot and later appeared before the Larnaca district court, where he was fined €9,400.

In the second case, customs officers conducted a search on the luggage of a 42-year-old British national who was preparing to fly to London.

Inside his three suitcases, they found 145 cartons of cigarettes, each containing 200 cigarettes.

 The passenger was arrested but was released after paying €6,500 as part of an out-of-court settlement.